11.18.2010

Helping Out: Greater Boston Food Bank

One of my favorite parts about the company that I work for is the fact that I get the opportunity to volunteer in the community at various times throughout the year. I always jump at the chance because it’s so very important to me to give back to the community in which I live in. It saddens me to see people throughout the city that really need help and I like to feel like I'm working to change that. To help, I spent the good majority of today at the Greater Boston Food Bank, sorting through donated items and supplies and packaging them up so that they’re ready to go out to local soup kitchens and various non-profits.

This morning was personally important to me because as I stood there sorting through hundreds of boxes, I felt like I was actually making a difference. My efforts were helping people get something that they needed, as well as I knew it would be something that would make them happy.Isn’t that what food is all about? We all need it, but it fulfills us and satisfies us in a way that nothing else can. Simply put, it just makes us happy.I know I’m probably romanticizing this, but as I placed the packages of coffee, boxed pasta and can tomatoes onto the conveyor belt so that they could head off to get sorted, I couldn’t help but get a little sentimental. I pictured people that maybe hadn’t eaten a decent, hot meal in a while, smiling big toothy grins as the steam from their hot food on their plates warmed their faces and filled their bellies. And I had a part in that.

In addition, not only was I feeling powerful because I was helping someone out, I was feeling so very appreciative.I gripe about trivial things that seem so important, just like everybody else but at the end of the day, I know I get to go home and make dinner.I know that there is food in my refrigerator and that I won’t go hungry tonight.What a luxury I have that I too often take for granted.

This holiday season, I encourage you, no wait, I beg you to please do at least one simple kind act for someone in your community (bonus points for more).Maybe you take 10 minutes to sift through your old winter coats and donate those that you don’t wear. Or maybe you bring a giant bag of groceries to a food donation drop-off center.Whatever it is and no matter how small the act of kindness, just remember, it does make a huge difference and makes our city a better place.

If you are interested in volunteering at the Greater Boston Food Bank, please click HERE.

About Me

Private Chef, Caterer and Food Writer, co-owner of The Skinny Beet. Self proclaimed food-geek and lover of all things Boston, cooking up original and creative recipes from my wicked Small Boston Kitchen.
Contact: KNBarszcz[at]gmail[dot]com